Peanut Butter Squares

A grade school legend...the Peanut Butter Square

Growing up we called them Peanut Butter Squares, some called them Hollywood Squares (anyone who grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) – these little peanut treats are sure to bring back memories of grade school lunches.

I borrowed this recipe from the Hollywood Squares recipe originally printed in the Cuyahoga Falls News-Press. After going over the ingredients, I was a bit hesitant in preparing it – it’s really nothing but sugar and fat. Not the best recipe to be publishing so early in 2010 when many resolutions are already hanging by a thread.

These Peanut Butter Squares are certainly delicious and very rich. Kind of like a peanut butter cup on steroids. One tiny square and your peanut butter craving will be cured. Yep, I said “peanut butter craving” – I get them all the time. I usually cure mine with a bit of Skippy Peanut Butter mixed with vanilla ice cream. Now I have a new medicine.

Peanut Butter Squares, aka Hollywood Squares

Ingredients:

2 cups peanut butter

2 ½ cups powdered sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup graham cracker crumbs

½ cup melted butter

Topping:

4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate

2 tablespoon peanut butter

Directions:

1.) Combine all ingredients except topping ingredients. Mix well and place in a buttered 9″x13″ square pan.

2.) Melt the topping ingredients together and spread over the top of the peanut butter mixture.

3.) Chill until topping is firm.

I’ve got a question…does anyone know where the term “Hollywood Square” originated? In my school we simply called them Peanut Butter Squares, but in my husband’s they called them Hollywood Squares. We grew up 40 minutes away from each other.

Are you from Lexington?
They made Peanut Butter Squares in the cafeterias at the school I went to in Lexington, Ohio. I was searching for the recipe because I wanted to have a bite of nostalgia and stumbled upon your blog. I just couldn’t help but think you could be from Lexington since you mentioned growing up in Ohio.

I went to school in Massachusetts and we used to have “peanut butter squares’ for breakfast, only ours were nice and warm… I’ve even contacted the person in charge of the cafeteria at my old high school to see if maybe they will provide me with the recipe. I know this recipe here doesn’t need any baking, but I wonder if the ones from school were actually baked or maybe just heated up? Anyone know of a baked recipe for these?

I so remember these. I grew up on these yummy squares of goodness. Being from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio…we did in fact call them hollywood squares. I remember my mom having the recipe, and every Christmas, she would make them. Now that I am a mother myself, I wanted to be able to pass down the tradition to my son.

I can’t believe there is a recipe for these! I loved them when I was in school in Cuyahoga Falls…I was just telling a friend of mine about them and he thought I was crazy talking about something called Hollywood Squares I can’t wait to make this for him!! He loves peanut butter things as much as I do, these are guarenteed to be his favorite

I’ve been craving these things since elementary school. That’s about 35 years ago. We just used to call them peanut butter squares. The Hollywood squares I remember from back then were with Paul Lind, funny dude. I hope these taste similar to the ones at Southdown elementary in Huntington, Long Island NY.